Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Internal Family Systems therapy is an approach that understands the Self system to consist of "parts" that function around a Centered Self.  Intuitively, this makes sense: For example,  "Part of me knows I should exercise every morning but another part of me feels overwhelmed by that and so I sleep in instead..."  When our internal parts are in conflict, we can feel unsettled, "off," confused, and frustrated with ourselves.  Our systems are out of balance when extreme thoughts and reactions are "in the lead", which can lead to depression, anxiety, rage, addictions, and other clinical problems.  We may have the experience of feeling quite disconnected from a sense of "where that came from" inside ourselves.  The IFS model is an elegant process using mindfulness states to achieve deep and lasting change to emotions, thinking, and behavior, even for those with extreme psychiatric histories.  Its goal is to heal the extreme feelings and help bring the grounded Center back into the lead.

For more information about the IFS model, click on http://selfleadership.org/about-internal-family-systems.html